Part Five: The Big Bed
Hoshi looked at her big bed with mounting sadness. Six more days and it would be gone. Seven more days and the Enterprise's mission would be officially over. They'd be back on Earth, their schedules filled with ceremonies, interviews, parties, and debriefings. One part of their lives over and new possibilities ahead.
She sat down on the bed, caressing the sheets, letting the rush of emotions flood over her. If only this bed could talk. Obviously, it would tell a very erotic, at times pornographic story. She could still recall their first night on the bed, the three of them flushed with worry, desire, and love.
Hoshi recalled how Malcolm stripped her and threw her on the bed, how Trip stumbled in his haste to pull off his jeans, shirt and shoes, and how Malcolm quickly and neatly stripped. They had fallen upon her, kissing her body, their hands roaming her and each other. She kissed and caressed them frantically, her need for them overwhelming her. At the time they all were very afraid of what might happen the next morning, so they furiously lost themselves in each other.
They should have had more faith in Jon Archer.
Not that the past five years had been easy. It took Jon a good part of a year before he could be totally at ease with them again, especially Trip. That he still called Trip his best friend touched Hoshi deeply. Trip would have been devastated if he'd lost Jon Archer's friendship. Not to mention that Malcolm and Hoshi would have felt deeply guilty. It was almost a year later that Jon told them that it was T'Pol who helped him accept their relationship and the fact that they kept it from him for so long. Trip had been floored, Malcolm surprised, but pleased, but Hoshi hadn't been shocked at all. T'Pol, she'd come to learn, was probably the most accepting person on board the Enterprise.
Letting her thoughts drift back to the bed, Hoshi reflected that the bed could tell a love story. The bed could tell a story about all of their fears, their hopes, their dreams, their ambitions, their anger, their acceptance of each other. How many discussions had they had on this bed? How many arguments? How many apologies had been made on this bed? Too many to count.
One of the most heated arguments on the big bed was about their marriage. Malcolm and Trip had wanted to establish a formal line marriage, while she had not.
"Hoshi, we've all acknowledged long ago how much we need each other. Tell me again, what's wrong with makin' all of this formal?
"Trip, I've told you and Malcolm that I'm not ready. I've been very happy with the way things have been for the past three years. Can't you just accept that I don't want to change anything. Marriage is change. Why do we need to go through a big change?"
"You are the most stubborn woman in the universe Hoshi Sato," Trip exclaimed. He flopped backwards and blew a sigh towards the ceiling. "Malcolm, I've argued with her for twenty minutes and you've just sat there. Help me out man."
Malcolm got off the floor and climbed onto the bed, pulling Trip into rare, loose hold from behind. He rested his head on Trip's shoulder and looked at Hoshi, his steely blue eyes gleaming with sadness.
"I don't know what to say, Trip. I think Hoshi's afraid of us."
"What!" Hoshi yelped. "What do mean I'm afraid of you? I'm the one who started this! I'm the one who insisted that we needed to be together! I'm the one who convinced the two of you to start up our relationship again! I'm the one who said that I loved the two of you first! I am not afraid of us!" She felt bewildered and hurt and wanted to shove them out of the bed.
"But you are afraid. If you weren't, you wouldn't be afraid of change. Look, Hoshi love, you're the one who's good with words, with communication. You've dragged us kicking and screaming into telling you how we feel. Think about what we're telling you now. Trip and I are willing to commit formally to you and each other. From three separate individuals, to one partnership, with all that it entails, including children. A family. It all petrifies me, but I'm willing to take a chance. So is Trip."
"So why not me, is that it? Maybe I don't want children, maybe I don't want anything formal. That in formalizing everything, I'd get lost amidst the two of you. And maybe I'm not ready to be have a family, to lose myself in raising kids. Knowing the two of you and how you feel about your careers, I'd be left behind. I'd be the one with all those responsibilities, while the two of you continue to have Starfleet careers and leave me alone..." she trailed off, amazed and shocked as she registered what she was saying. Hoshi then began to cry.
The two men shifted their positions to draw her into a warm embrace, cradling her on either side.
"Hoshi, we wouldn't leave you alone," Trip whispered in her hair.
"No matter what, our marriage, our family would come first," Malcolm murmured.
She cried and they held her. It still took her a week to agree.
While Jon and their other friends and co-workers on the Enterprise accepted their decision and supported them, it had been a bumpy road for Hoshi and Trip. Malcolm didn't bother to contact his parents, as once again they were not on speaking terms, but he did contact his sister and his aunts. His sister was ecstatic for him and his aunts were pleased that Malcolm wouldn't spend the rest of his life alone. They insisted on speaking to Hoshi and Trip, saying "It's an amazing gift to have love. Yes, be sure you take care of each other and our dear boy."
Trip's mother was mortified and shocked. "What about our family name? What about children? Who will accept your children as yours? Line marriages aren't accepted around here Charles Tucker the Third! Jesus Christ almightly...I can't deal with this right now. I'll write or send a sub-space message to you later." With that, she abruptly cut off the transmission.
They comforted Trip as best they could. Later, after his mother had given him her blessing, Jon told them that he had contacted Trip's family. He had a long talk with his mother, his brother, his sisters, and his cousins. All Jon would tell them was that he let Trip's family know how happy he was for Trip and that he supported Trip's marriage fully. Overcome with gratitude, Trip hugged his best friend tightly, and was unable to speak for along time that night.
Hoshi was the last of the three of them to contact her family. Her oldest brother still wouldn't talk to her. Her younger brothers reacted with a mixture of amazement and consternation. They both said something to the effect that she was the last one they'd ever expected to buck the norm and that it was kind of cool.
Her father hadn't said a word. Instead, he turned towards her mother and let her do all the talking. With a stern, composed face, her mother gave vent to their disapproval. This wasn't what they had planned for her. Line marriages were still too new, too problematic, and too controversial. It would hurt her career, whether she stayed in Starfleet or tried to go back to the University. They would not give her their blessing. They would not condone or approve of her decision.
Hoshi told them that she loved them, but she'd made her decision and wouldn't change her mind.
That night, in the big bed, Trip and Malcolm made slow, gentle love to her, kissing away her tears.
Now they were planning their future. They agreed to live in San Francisco. Trip was going to work in at Starfleet headquarters, spearheading the design of new warp engines. Malcolm accepted a first officer's position on a new prototype ship, but it would be a year and a half before the ship would be ready to go out. Hoshi accepted a professorship at the University of California at Santa Cruz. Most importantly, the three of them were expecting their first child.
The big bed was where they made that decision eight months ago. The big bed was where she used the monitor Phlox had given her to follow her cycle, to track when she would ovulate. The big bed was where, six months ago, Trip held her in his arms, propped up on pillows behind her, stroking her body and the body of his co-husband as Malcolm impregnated her. The big bed was where they celebrated after Phlox confirmed that indeed, all their planning worked.
She was going to miss this bed so much.
She found herself crying, unable to stop. She didn't register Trip and Malcolm entering their quarters.
"Hoshi, darlin', is everything all right?" said Trip's worried voice, startling her.
She struggled a bit to sit up, wiping her tears away. "I'm going to miss our bed."
Trip grinned and Malcolm smiled widely. "Oh, dear, not again," said Malcolm.
"Don't patronize me Malcolm Reed!" Hoshi could literally feel her hormones swinging.
"He's not patronizing you, Hoshi, he's just commenting. We've found you this way everyday for the past week, that's all." Trip reached and began to stroke her hair.
Hoshi glared at them. "Men! You have no idea what I'm going through, what I'm..."
"No, we don't," said Malcolm as he cut her off. He sat down on the bed and began to rub her ankles. "But that doesn't mean we aren't sympathetic to your moods."
"Anyway, we have some news that might cheer you up." Trip gave a knowing nod to Malcolm that switched Hoshi's mood from annoyed to curious.
"Don't just sit there grinning at each other, tell me the news!"
Malcolm leaned over and kissed Hoshi's protruding belly. "We get to keep the big bed. We're going to set it up in the new house and Trip's going to make it even better."
Hoshi felt dumbfounded. She stared at them for few moments, then sputtered out, "What are you talking about?"
Trip started to chuckle. "I talked with Jon and he agreed that the big bed should stay with us. After all, this old girl will probably be put to use again, and we'd have to junk this bed to make everything look Starfleet prim and proper. It would be a shame to waste the materials, so once the bed's dismantled, it's going to be packed up as our belongings. We're taking it with us."
"Yes, the madman strikes again. You should see the bloody plans he has to improve it once we get settled into our new home."
"Well, at least I have a plan, and you're gonna have to help me with..."
As they continued to jokingly bicker, Hoshi let their words flow over her. She looked at them intently, feeling as if her heart would explode with the love she felt for them. She reached out and stopped their conversation as she pulled them down towards her.
"You two have made me very happy. Now, shut up and let's celebrate the saving of my big bed. Do as I say...boys."
"As always, Hoshi love, as always,"
"Yeah darlin', once again, we'll follow your lead."
Hoshi looked at her big bed with mounting sadness. Six more days and it would be gone. Seven more days and the Enterprise's mission would be officially over. They'd be back on Earth, their schedules filled with ceremonies, interviews, parties, and debriefings. One part of their lives over and new possibilities ahead.
She sat down on the bed, caressing the sheets, letting the rush of emotions flood over her. If only this bed could talk. Obviously, it would tell a very erotic, at times pornographic story. She could still recall their first night on the bed, the three of them flushed with worry, desire, and love.
Hoshi recalled how Malcolm stripped her and threw her on the bed, how Trip stumbled in his haste to pull off his jeans, shirt and shoes, and how Malcolm quickly and neatly stripped. They had fallen upon her, kissing her body, their hands roaming her and each other. She kissed and caressed them frantically, her need for them overwhelming her. At the time they all were very afraid of what might happen the next morning, so they furiously lost themselves in each other.
They should have had more faith in Jon Archer.
Not that the past five years had been easy. It took Jon a good part of a year before he could be totally at ease with them again, especially Trip. That he still called Trip his best friend touched Hoshi deeply. Trip would have been devastated if he'd lost Jon Archer's friendship. Not to mention that Malcolm and Hoshi would have felt deeply guilty. It was almost a year later that Jon told them that it was T'Pol who helped him accept their relationship and the fact that they kept it from him for so long. Trip had been floored, Malcolm surprised, but pleased, but Hoshi hadn't been shocked at all. T'Pol, she'd come to learn, was probably the most accepting person on board the Enterprise.
Letting her thoughts drift back to the bed, Hoshi reflected that the bed could tell a love story. The bed could tell a story about all of their fears, their hopes, their dreams, their ambitions, their anger, their acceptance of each other. How many discussions had they had on this bed? How many arguments? How many apologies had been made on this bed? Too many to count.
One of the most heated arguments on the big bed was about their marriage. Malcolm and Trip had wanted to establish a formal line marriage, while she had not.
"Hoshi, we've all acknowledged long ago how much we need each other. Tell me again, what's wrong with makin' all of this formal?
"Trip, I've told you and Malcolm that I'm not ready. I've been very happy with the way things have been for the past three years. Can't you just accept that I don't want to change anything. Marriage is change. Why do we need to go through a big change?"
"You are the most stubborn woman in the universe Hoshi Sato," Trip exclaimed. He flopped backwards and blew a sigh towards the ceiling. "Malcolm, I've argued with her for twenty minutes and you've just sat there. Help me out man."
Malcolm got off the floor and climbed onto the bed, pulling Trip into rare, loose hold from behind. He rested his head on Trip's shoulder and looked at Hoshi, his steely blue eyes gleaming with sadness.
"I don't know what to say, Trip. I think Hoshi's afraid of us."
"What!" Hoshi yelped. "What do mean I'm afraid of you? I'm the one who started this! I'm the one who insisted that we needed to be together! I'm the one who convinced the two of you to start up our relationship again! I'm the one who said that I loved the two of you first! I am not afraid of us!" She felt bewildered and hurt and wanted to shove them out of the bed.
"But you are afraid. If you weren't, you wouldn't be afraid of change. Look, Hoshi love, you're the one who's good with words, with communication. You've dragged us kicking and screaming into telling you how we feel. Think about what we're telling you now. Trip and I are willing to commit formally to you and each other. From three separate individuals, to one partnership, with all that it entails, including children. A family. It all petrifies me, but I'm willing to take a chance. So is Trip."
"So why not me, is that it? Maybe I don't want children, maybe I don't want anything formal. That in formalizing everything, I'd get lost amidst the two of you. And maybe I'm not ready to be have a family, to lose myself in raising kids. Knowing the two of you and how you feel about your careers, I'd be left behind. I'd be the one with all those responsibilities, while the two of you continue to have Starfleet careers and leave me alone..." she trailed off, amazed and shocked as she registered what she was saying. Hoshi then began to cry.
The two men shifted their positions to draw her into a warm embrace, cradling her on either side.
"Hoshi, we wouldn't leave you alone," Trip whispered in her hair.
"No matter what, our marriage, our family would come first," Malcolm murmured.
She cried and they held her. It still took her a week to agree.
While Jon and their other friends and co-workers on the Enterprise accepted their decision and supported them, it had been a bumpy road for Hoshi and Trip. Malcolm didn't bother to contact his parents, as once again they were not on speaking terms, but he did contact his sister and his aunts. His sister was ecstatic for him and his aunts were pleased that Malcolm wouldn't spend the rest of his life alone. They insisted on speaking to Hoshi and Trip, saying "It's an amazing gift to have love. Yes, be sure you take care of each other and our dear boy."
Trip's mother was mortified and shocked. "What about our family name? What about children? Who will accept your children as yours? Line marriages aren't accepted around here Charles Tucker the Third! Jesus Christ almightly...I can't deal with this right now. I'll write or send a sub-space message to you later." With that, she abruptly cut off the transmission.
They comforted Trip as best they could. Later, after his mother had given him her blessing, Jon told them that he had contacted Trip's family. He had a long talk with his mother, his brother, his sisters, and his cousins. All Jon would tell them was that he let Trip's family know how happy he was for Trip and that he supported Trip's marriage fully. Overcome with gratitude, Trip hugged his best friend tightly, and was unable to speak for along time that night.
Hoshi was the last of the three of them to contact her family. Her oldest brother still wouldn't talk to her. Her younger brothers reacted with a mixture of amazement and consternation. They both said something to the effect that she was the last one they'd ever expected to buck the norm and that it was kind of cool.
Her father hadn't said a word. Instead, he turned towards her mother and let her do all the talking. With a stern, composed face, her mother gave vent to their disapproval. This wasn't what they had planned for her. Line marriages were still too new, too problematic, and too controversial. It would hurt her career, whether she stayed in Starfleet or tried to go back to the University. They would not give her their blessing. They would not condone or approve of her decision.
Hoshi told them that she loved them, but she'd made her decision and wouldn't change her mind.
That night, in the big bed, Trip and Malcolm made slow, gentle love to her, kissing away her tears.
Now they were planning their future. They agreed to live in San Francisco. Trip was going to work in at Starfleet headquarters, spearheading the design of new warp engines. Malcolm accepted a first officer's position on a new prototype ship, but it would be a year and a half before the ship would be ready to go out. Hoshi accepted a professorship at the University of California at Santa Cruz. Most importantly, the three of them were expecting their first child.
The big bed was where they made that decision eight months ago. The big bed was where she used the monitor Phlox had given her to follow her cycle, to track when she would ovulate. The big bed was where, six months ago, Trip held her in his arms, propped up on pillows behind her, stroking her body and the body of his co-husband as Malcolm impregnated her. The big bed was where they celebrated after Phlox confirmed that indeed, all their planning worked.
She was going to miss this bed so much.
She found herself crying, unable to stop. She didn't register Trip and Malcolm entering their quarters.
"Hoshi, darlin', is everything all right?" said Trip's worried voice, startling her.
She struggled a bit to sit up, wiping her tears away. "I'm going to miss our bed."
Trip grinned and Malcolm smiled widely. "Oh, dear, not again," said Malcolm.
"Don't patronize me Malcolm Reed!" Hoshi could literally feel her hormones swinging.
"He's not patronizing you, Hoshi, he's just commenting. We've found you this way everyday for the past week, that's all." Trip reached and began to stroke her hair.
Hoshi glared at them. "Men! You have no idea what I'm going through, what I'm..."
"No, we don't," said Malcolm as he cut her off. He sat down on the bed and began to rub her ankles. "But that doesn't mean we aren't sympathetic to your moods."
"Anyway, we have some news that might cheer you up." Trip gave a knowing nod to Malcolm that switched Hoshi's mood from annoyed to curious.
"Don't just sit there grinning at each other, tell me the news!"
Malcolm leaned over and kissed Hoshi's protruding belly. "We get to keep the big bed. We're going to set it up in the new house and Trip's going to make it even better."
Hoshi felt dumbfounded. She stared at them for few moments, then sputtered out, "What are you talking about?"
Trip started to chuckle. "I talked with Jon and he agreed that the big bed should stay with us. After all, this old girl will probably be put to use again, and we'd have to junk this bed to make everything look Starfleet prim and proper. It would be a shame to waste the materials, so once the bed's dismantled, it's going to be packed up as our belongings. We're taking it with us."
"Yes, the madman strikes again. You should see the bloody plans he has to improve it once we get settled into our new home."
"Well, at least I have a plan, and you're gonna have to help me with..."
As they continued to jokingly bicker, Hoshi let their words flow over her. She looked at them intently, feeling as if her heart would explode with the love she felt for them. She reached out and stopped their conversation as she pulled them down towards her.
"You two have made me very happy. Now, shut up and let's celebrate the saving of my big bed. Do as I say...boys."
"As always, Hoshi love, as always,"
"Yeah darlin', once again, we'll follow your lead."